What if This
by FloofyFox
Summary: SPOILER WARNING: Judy eventually finds out about about the Night Howlers being flowers, not wolves, but instead of going off to find Nick, she hops off to try and solve the case herself. Later will she regret doing so, as she lands herself in deep water with the hardest decision of her life: save her friend or her courier?
1. The Mistake

All of the events of the movie has taken place up to Judy leaving to follow the Night Howlers.

"Nighthowlers aren't wolves, their flowers!"

* * *

Judy sped through through the cars in front of her, startling an old female meerkat, but she didn't care. She had to get this information to the ZPD, as soon as possible. Who knew how useful it would be? Very useful considering it would prove that it was nothing to do with the predators biology, and it was all to do with the flowers.

But how did all of the suspects make contact with the flowers in the first place? Mr Manchas was understandable, since he lived in the rainforest district. However, how would Emmett have made contact? He was in a limo, and why would the night howlers be in there? Unless someone had hijacked the car, and placed the flowers inside. No, that wasn't possible. It was Mr. Big's car, and he had top security. Who would dare to? It could have been like a poison given to him, but Mr Manchas hadn't said anything about that.

Oh, it was all so confusing.

The tjoughts were swirling through the bunny's head as she kept on driving, driving on and on. But then another thought came to her.

Maybe she could follow the night howlers, to find out where they led! It could lead to the animal behind it all! But it wasn't literal, she thought, as she remembered the 'onions' Weaselton had stolen. The thought excited her, and gave a new burst of hope through the rabbit's body.

All of the adrenaline surged through her as she glanced to her left, checking for the sign that said she was entering Zootopia.

All of these explanation had hit her like a brick, and made her forget about her and Nick's problems. One last thought went through her mind as she entered the highway into Zootopia.

Maybe if I prove to Nick it wasn't biological, he would forgive me. Maybe, just maybe it can help my apology.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Weaselton!" the weasel started, and whipped around to face a very angry Judy.

"Well, if it ain't flopsy the copsy," he smirked, as he realised that Judy wasn't a threat. Boy was he wrong.

"I know those weren't moldy onions I caught you stealing, and so do you. What were you going to do with those Night Holwers, Weaselton?" Judy cried in his face, cutting straight to the point.

"Yeah, what's in it for you?" Judy raised her eyebrows, "Ok so maybe I know, but I ain't gonna tell you, and there's nothin you can do to make me," he sneered at the rabbit, spitting near her feet.

Slowly Judy smirked back.

"We'll see," was all she said, punching him in the muzzle, only enough to startle him. The weasel looked up at her astonished, and without another word Judy started to drag him by the ear. Dragging him over to a certain criminal lord with a pregnant daughter.

* * *

"Ice 'im" Mr Big's voice said, looking up at his polar bear servant, and then over at Judy, who stood there looking smug as Weaselton's frantic body was lowered.

"No no no! Alright please, I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"Great. Now spill!" Judy said, crossing her arms.

"I stole 'em Nighthowlers so I could sell 'em! They offered me what I couldn't refuse! Money!" he replied, seemingly drooling in pleasure as he said the word. Judy looked on in disgust.

"And to whom did you sell them?"

"A ram named Doug. We've got a drop spot underground. Just watch it! Doug is the opposite of friendly," Weaselton advised.

"He's unfriendly,"

* * *

Judy had rushed over to the entrance of the abandoned station at full speed, and when she got there, made sure there were no mammals watching, and the went through a small gap in the barring of the net.

Everything was so dark, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust to the dark.

 _If only Nick were here,_ she thought longingly, but brushed the thought away. It was her fault they weren't friends anymore, and she had to fix that. It wasn't like she blamed him. She had been a real jerk lately, and it wasn't his fault at all.

So she ran up to the abandoned cart, which was resting on the wall just like Weaselton had said.

Perfect.

Judy sprinted up to the edge, and scanned the cart for a place to get in. Her amethyst eyes soon rested on a window, and she quickly unlocked it, then hopped in. She looked around, and what greeted her eyes shocked her. Dozens of Night Howlers were stationed on tables, growing under heaters.

"The weasel wasn't lying," she whispered to herself, as she explored the aisles of deadly plants. A clank caught her attention, and she quickly dove under a table behind a bucket.

Sure enough, a ram entered in a yellow onesie. He picked up the bucket and walked over to a large container, and then emptied something into it.

 _Probably the Doug guy Weaselton told me about_ , Judy thought, as she crawled further down into the table to get a better view.

The ram seemed to head over to a lab like layout, not before putting a mask on his head, and poured the contents of the bucket into a channel. He watched as the blue liquid flowed down, and then flicked a switch to allow some gas out. Then he went to the very end, where he placed a small round container, where the blue liquid poured out into it and filled it to the brim. Doug then closed it and inspected it closely.

Judy narrowed her eyes as she looked at the capsule. It looked awfully like a blu-

Ring ring ring.

"Hello? Another victim?" Doug answered, walking over to a bench and opening a brief case. It held a dart like gun, and Judy's eyes narrowed at it.

"A cheetah in Saharah Square, ok. Yeah, I know they're fast," he snorted "Listen, I hit a tiny otter through the window of a moving car,"

Manchas' story flashed through Judy's eyes, as she realized there was an entire board of all the missing mammals, and yet more to come. Another vision of when Mr Manchas went wild zoomed through her mind, making her gasp a little. She clamped her mouth shut, hoping Doug hadn't heard. Thankfully there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah, I got to go. Walter and Jesse are here," Doug said, clicking off.

"Hey Doug open up! We have your latte!" came a voice, the banging on the door getting louder. Judy glanced at the gun, and then at the door that Doug just opened, revealing two other rams.

Her brow knitted together as she thought, and then finally decided. Without another thought, she rushed up behind Doug and kicked him in the back with a powerful lunge, knocking him out of the cart and catapulting him into the others. Without hesitation she quickly slammed the door shut and rushed over to the gun.

Her eyes scanned it, and then a thought came over her. She rushed over to the control room, and wacked the scale.

"Come on, come on," she muttered, as she heard the ram's calling for backup.

The engine responded with a giant moan, and the started to move.

"Yes! Ok, we have to get this to the ZPD," she said to no one in particular, driving the cart out of the tunnel.

 _If Nick were here he would want to do a victory toot_ , Judy thought sadly, but was shaken out of her thoughts by banging on the roof.

"Uh oh,"

Judy nearly screamed as a ram's face appeared at the glass of the front screen, and gasped as she heard something behind her. It was the other ram, who had climbed through the emergency exit. Without thinking Judy let go of the controls and jumped out of the way as the ram inside charged. Thankfully Judy jumped just in time, which resulted in the charging ram catapulting into the one who had just got in, throwing both of them out the window.

Judy puffed in relief, but suddenly felt the cart tilting ever so slightly, and then fully. She scrambled to get a hold, but couldn't, and felt something wack into her on the side of her head.

It was the brief case with the dart inside.

Judy grabbed it and pulled it to her chest. The cart gave a final groan.

"This is my stop," she said, jumping out the window and flying to the ground. She landed with an _oof_ , and watched as the cart slammed into wall.

"Maybe, some of the evidence survived," she said, and was rewarded with a massive boom as the cart exploded, throwing debris everywhere. Judy's ears flew back as a stray tire exploded behind her.

"At least I have this," she said, looking down at the case.

"It will be enough evidence for the ZPD. I can cut through the natural history museum," she said, scrambling up and cutting through the entry to the museum.

She sprinted all the way, hoping to maybe be able to find Nick so they could both go up and hand in the evidence. It was also with his help that she had gotten to this point. She was nearly at the exit, nearly there. The light streamed in her face, making Judy's insides warm up.

And then.

"Judy!" Judy whipped around at her voice, hopping to see a certain fox.

"Mayor Bellweather!" she gasped, and rushed over to the new mayor, who was currently guarded by two ram guards in blue uniforms.

The doe ran over to the mayor, a grin spreading on her face. She wouldn't have to go all the way to the ZPD!

"Someone has been shooting predators with a serum! _That's_ what has been making the predators go savage!" she said, skidding to a halt in front of the sheep.

"I'm so proud of you Judy! You did just a super job," Bellweather cried enthusiastically, yet very suspicious as to how fake it sounded. But Judy was just happy that she had found someone reliable to give the evidence to.

"Thank you ma'am," she said, puffing a little as she stepped closer to the sheep. Bellweather just stood there awkwardly, stealing glances down at the case as if she seemed to be attracted to it by some indescribable force. Judy realized, and only then did the rabbit finally start to have the questions that seemed so darn obvious. So she chose the most obvious one, which was the one everyone would probably be asking.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"And I'll just go ahead and take that case," Bellweather cried, nearly practically lunging for the case in Judy's paws. The bunny yanked it away, holding it near her shoulder.

"You know, I think I'll just go ahead and take this case to the ZPD," the doe said cautiously, as the sheep kept acting even more suspiciously each second, and Judy didn't like that. So she quickly turned to leave, until Bellweather's voice caught her ears.

"I wish you could, honey, but unfortunately you have to give me the case. I'm the mayor,"

"That doesn't mean you own everything," Judy retorted, standing still where she was.

"Oh, Judy Judy Judy," Bellweather tutted, as she slowly walked up to the still bunny, "You never know when to quit, do you? Well, that will have to come at a price, if you want to get away with it," the sheep stopped, and Judy was on full alert as to what the sheep was planning.

"And that price, my friend, won't be a cheap one,"

"What do you-?"

"Give me the case, and I might consider releasing your friend,"

"Who-?" Judy spun around at that, and there, standing before her, out of all animals it could have been, was Nick Wilde.

Judy gasped, as all colour from her face drained.

"Your choice, Judy,"

* * *

Mwahahahahaha! I. AM. EVIL! I am so sorry, I was originally going to do this as a one-shot, but I shall now make it a... TWO-SHOT! So sucks for you c:

Ok I am SO sorry for this, really I am. I promise I will have the second chapter up... by the end of the week? Yes. Maybe. I hope...

Anyway, it all depends on the amount of support that I get, and if I really feel like this is a good idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot now going to be a two-shot, and I shall see you in the next chapter.

Carrots!


	2. Help is on the Way

"Your choice, Judy,"

"What the heck are you doing here, rabbit?! RUN!" Nick yelped in anger, but probably directed more at the ram who was restraining him. But all Judy could do was stare in horror as Bellweather's words sunk in. There was Nick, tightly restrained, hands behind his back, standing there in front of one of Bellweather's guards, who held him with such ferocity it was breath taking. For a sheep, of course.

But all Judy could think of was the muzzle on his snout.

 _He's wearing a.. it's a… he's got a… that's a…._

 _Muzzle._

Nick's biggest nightmare and torment of his childhood was right there, on his snout, and if Judy didn't know any better she would have definitely said he was terrified. But why shouldn't he be? All Judy was happy about was that he wasn't showing it to anyone, just like in his motto.

 _Never let them see that they get to you._

But Judy's heart stopped as she saw the gun located in the other ram's hand, pointed straight at Nick's chest. However the fox didn't seem scared, just pretty angry that Judy hadn't left yet, and that she was taking a long time in doing so.

" _Carrots_! What are you doing, having a picnic? Run, you idiot! She's got a _gun_!" Nick seethed through the muzzle, as he tried to push away from the guard, which proved fruitless as he was yanked back into place.

"I-I…"

"It's your choice, hun. Take or leave, let live or kill. It really is up to you," Bellweather reasoned, weighing the options as if Judy hadn't already, "I have _all_ night,"

"B-but-"

" _Run_ you pathetic rabbit!"

"Come one, Judy, you know you want to!" Bellweather taunted in a singsong voice, as she bobbed on her heels, her hands behind her back. Judy's eyes glanced from every mammal in the room to the other, then back at the case in her paws. Her ears drooped as she realized her options were at their minimum.

"You really have to think about it, fluff?"

"Quiet _fox_! You don't have a say in this!" Bellweather hissed, whipping around as she glared at Nick. The fox stared back with equal ferocity, and the staring contest only ended when Bellweather signaled at the ram, who yanked at the back of Nick's collar, banging the muzzle against his forehead. Nick whimpered sightly, quite soft as he thankfully caught himself, but enough for Judy's bunny ears to pick it up. Her ears flattened against her head as she saw her friend in even more pain. At least she hoped she could call him her friend, even if he didn't want to be. After all, he was still an innocent life.

Ok, maybe not so innocent, but definitely not enough for him to get killed in cold blood. It just wasn't fair, and Judy wouldn't be able to live with the guilt knowing Nick was dead just because of her.

"Take your time, little bunny, even if the choice is quite obvious to me," Judy bit her lip, as her eyes connected with Nick's. The fox shook his ever so slightly, as Judy's eyes reflected the guilt in her soul.

 _I don't know what to do_ , she thought, but then a little voice inside her head answered, _then listen to your heart._

And her heart was telling her…

"Alright, you win,"

"What?!"

"That's what I thought," the sheep chuckled taking a step towards the bunny. Judy's eyes lowered to the ground as Bellweather snatched the case away, not bearing to meet Nick's gaze. And she knew what the fox was thinking, anyway, so she didn't need to look into his eyes to confirm it. She could feel him glaring daggers into the front of her head, but not in the bad way. More of a betrayed, guilty way if anything.

 _How could you? You're an idiot, rabbit, an absolute idiot! The whole of Zootopia will suffer at that mistake!_

"Now let him go!" Judy cried, lifting her head to meet Bellweather's gaze. At that, the sheep smiled evilly, which, might I add, was quite disturbing to see on such an innocent looking sheep. Judy's stomach squirmed uncomfortably, as she met the sheep's gaze equally.

"Actually…"

"And there it is," Nick muttered, ears flattening in annoyance as he looked away. Judy's heart sunk even lower.

"Now that I consider it, you two have seen and heard to much. You will, I think, have to be exterminated. But don't worry, I'll try to make it quick for you,"

"What about Nick?" Judy's voice wavered, as her paws clenched into tight balls of fury.

"Oh, what about him?"

"The case for his freedom, that's what I promised,"

"Carrots…"

"You promised!"

"Oh, Judy, haven't you learnt anything being with that fox?" Bellweather laughed, making Judy scowl at the reference to Nick. She could have sworn she heard Nick growl, but couldn't be sure.

"Promises are _so_ overrated! And how do you know anyone will keep them?"

"Trust,"

"Ha! Well, keep innovating in your _trust_ and you might have a friend someday! Not like you have any true friends who have your back!"

"She does!" the two prey turned, startled, to look at a fuming Nick. The guard instantly tried to yank him back again, to get him under control, when Bellweather signaled for him to let Nick go a little. As soon as the ram did, Nick growled at him, but then turned back to the two.

"She does,"

"Oh? And who might that be? You? Ha, that's a good one, _fox,_ but I don't think you would ever make the list!" Bellweather cried, making Judy even more tempted to slap her. How could such an innocent looking creature turn out to be so evil? Well, it did answer how such a sly creature could be so lovable.

Speaking of which, Judy turned back to the fox who was confronting the sheep. He seemed a bit guilty about that retort, as his ears sunk back, tail going droopy, as his eyes lost a little of their fierce twinkle.

"Maybe not me, but many other animals," he said evenly, as Bellweather's eyes seemed to laugh at the fox's futile attempt of rebellion.

"Like who?"

"Well, all the animals in the force! Like Clawhauser! Or…" Nick scrambled for someone else, as he searched through the many animals he had seen who had helped Judy.

"Or…"

"Come on, fox, we don't have all night. Prove your point already!"

"Her 275 brothers and sisters!" Bellweather's eyebrow raised at that, and Judy's eyes widened in surprise. He knew about that? And the exact number? How? Nick looked Judy in the eyes, his filled with apology. For what, though? For knowing about that? But that wasn't such a big deal.

"Ok then, well, that was awful sweet of you, fox, but we better get rid of the last piece of evidence,"

"But you have the ev-"

Judy didn't get time to think as a sudden sound split through the air.

 _Bang_!

Judy gasped in surprise, as she shot up from the floor. How did she get down there? She looked up to see a blur of red fur and white wool coming towards her, and gasped, as she barrel rolled out of the way just in time. Sitting on her back, she looked back up to see Nick, who was restraining one of the ram's, as the other tried to restrain him from strangling the other guard. Nick's desperate eyes rested on Judy, and then the doe finally managed to piece what had happened.

Bellweather must have tried to shoot her, probably signaling one of her guards, but Nick had shoved the guard away, disrupting his aim.

Nick had saved her.

"Quick, Carrots, the evidence!" Nick cried, his eyes darting over to the case that lay there on the floor, a disregarded thing.

Without hesitation, the bunny scrambled up, and sprinted over to the case, diving into it as if someone else was going for it. She heard some more growling behind her, but knew it was just Nick wrestling with the guards. The doe quickly looked up, to see the flurry of red and white go past her, then heard a yelp.

"Nick!"

"I'm fine! Get the case to the ZPD!" came another voice from the blur of animals. Judy's eyes hardened at that statement, as she jumped into the fray.

Not before saying, though, "Oh no you don't you dumb fox!" she started to wrangle the other guard, as she dropped the case, which landed with a _clunk_.

"Carrots!" Nick yelped in alarm, as Judy punched the lights out of the guard she was wrestling with. The bunny looked up to smile and wave at the fox, but her grin disappeared when she saw Nick was pinned to the ground. The rabbit scrambled up, as a brief thought came over her.

 _Where is Bellweather?_

Never mind that, Nick needed her help. The doe started to run, as their violent battles had increased the distance between the two, but it wasn't too far for a rabbit her speed. Almost there…

Nick growled again at the ram through the muzzle, at was raised his fist to throw a punch. It landed square on the ram cheek, sending him sailing into the door, effectively knocking him out. Nick sat there, kneeling, as he panted, trying to calm his beating heart. The fox looked up, to see a happy rabbit racing towards him, and he smiled back at her. But then a thought over came him.

"Hey, Officer Fluff, get the case!" he called out to her, slowing the bunny to a skidding halt. Her head whipped around to see the discarded case, but a sinking feeling fell into her gut. Something didn't feel right, and Nick seemed to sense it as well. He picked himself up, and started to head toward Judy slowly, who had sprinted around to quickly grab the case. She bent over, and swiped the handle, bringing it to her chest as she shot right back up to see where Nick was.

He was behind her, but that lingering feeling never left.

 _Bellweather still isn't anywhere to be found,_ she thought warily, but her eyes suddenly caught a metallic glint. Before she could even cry out a warning, a shot was fired, sailing through the air in a millisecond.

Judy watched in horror as Nick whipped around, all too soon as a bullet's momentum pushed him to the ground as it hit square into his side, and he landed on the floor with a sharp yelp. The two heard a distant chuckling, as Bellweather's laugh echoed off the walls.

" _Nick!"_ Judy screamed, as she raced over to the limp fox form of her friend. Tears came to her eyes as she reached him, throwing the case to her side as she skidded to a halt on her knees, turning the fox around to face her.

Nick gave a painful groan, as his eyes cracked open to see Judy's worried face, which was nearly in tears.

"Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding?!" she asked frantically, trying to remember her CPR training, as the blood in his side started to seep through his shirt, making Judy shudder in disgust. Bellweather had done this, and oh how she would pay!

"Y-yeah, I can," Nick said through his teeth, which clenched together as the pain increased.

"And you a-aren't even h-holding any fi-fingers," he laughed a little, which made Judy's panick decrease by one percent. The rabbit glanced around, as she tried to decide what to do.

"Ok, just stay with me Nick, don't go yet," she said, as the bunny quickly unlatched the muzzle and cuffs from Nick's snout and paws, when she suddenly remembered the phone located in her pocket. She quickly dropped the muzzle, as Nick let out a small sigh of relief, and scrambled for the phone, hoping, _praying_ that she hadn't dropped it through all of the commotion.

"Not likely, rabbit," Nick chuckled slightly in reply to her previous question.

Miraculously the phone hadn't fallen out, and with shaking paws Judy clumsily typed in 000. She brought the phone up to her ear, as she waited for an answer.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hi, this is Judy Hopps calling for an ambulance, I have an injured friend who needs medical attention ASAP!" she thought for a millisecond, then added, "and I also need the police,"

 _"Sure, Judy, where is the ambulance needed?"_

"At the Natural History Museum! And as soon as possible, we have a gunma- gunsheep loose, and a wounded mammal!" she cried, as her desperation increased when Nick started to writhe around, making his wound even bigger, allowing more blood to seep out. It had started to make its way up to his chest, until nearly his whole shirt looked red. Judy's heart rate increase by ten, as Nick let out a strangle cry, going limp.

 _"Ok, we will send out a vehicle right away. How bad is the patient?"_

"Pretty bad, the wound l-looks quite big, and he is loosing a lot of blood," Judy said, her voice shaking a little. Nick whimpered as his tail tucked in between his legs, the fox trying to curl up in a ball to ease the pain.

 _"Alright, so until the ambulance arrives you have to wrap the wound around tightly to stem the blood flow, and that'll help them stay conscious until further help gets there,"_

"Ok, thanks, I 'll do that," Judy said, quickly hanging up, as she turned her attention back to Nick, who was whining a little more.

"I don't feel so g-good,"

"I know, just stay with me, alright?"

"Feel d-dizzy," Nick replied, as his eyes started to droop, alarming Judy even more.

"N-no! You have to stay awake, Nick! You have to stay awake until the ambulance gets here! Just, hang on. Let me wrap the wound," the bunny said, as she started to strip the base of his shirt.

 _Oh well, he can't mind. It is for his life,_ she thought regretfully, however it was true.

As soon as she had a decent sized strip, she looped it around his waist, making the fox flinch. Judy sucked in a breath as she continued to move the bandage to fasten it properly around Nick's side, making the fox whine even more.

"I know it hurts, but trust me, it's for your own good, Nick," she said, gently stroking between his ears, relaxing the fox a little. Judy smiled lightly, as she went back to wrapping his wound.

It looked quite nasty, but she couldn't see the actual wound, since all the dark red blood clogged any view of it, making the rabbit uneasy. Naturally, she wasn't used to this, especially the fresh and thick metallic smell of his blood, which made her want to puke. Nick sucked in a breath, as he waited, tense, for the feeling of more movement.

And it came, making him want to squirm away, but he had to trust Judy. She was trying to help him, after all.

"Sorry," she mumbled, as she started to tie the bandage to keep it in place, and once she was done, Nick sighed in relief as the rubbing sensation left, to be replaced with a more secure feeling of fabric on top of the wound, restricting any movement that would irritate it further.

"Thanks, Carrots," he said, looking up at her.

"No problem, sly fox. It's the least I can do, after…" Judy dwindled off, as her ears drooped low at the thought of when she had betrayed Nick. As soon as her expression sunk, the fox noticed her change in demeanor, and tried to sit up, which ended in him hissing in pain.

"Nick, don't move, you'll irritate your wound even more," Judy warned, holding his shoulder gently. Nick sucked in another breath, then nodded his head slightly. Judy smiled a small, comforting smile, as the two waited for the ambulance and police officers to arrive. The bunny stole another quick glance down at Nick's wound, to see how he was fairing. And it was better news this time, as the fox looked down too. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, and was now drying up a little, as the bandage kept it in place.

Nick's ears suddenly perked to the sound of sirens in the distant, making Judy look up. She smiled in delight as she got up slightly from her kneeling position, shifting Nick's head to the other side, making the fox wince. The doe looked back down at her wounded friend, and was about to utter a quick apology when another sound caught her ears. The bunny tensed as the sound of hoof clicks got closer and louder than the siren, and a low chuckle made both mammals' heads whip up.

There, staring them straight in the face, was no one other than…

Dawn Bellweather.

 _That's where she is_.

* * *

 **Hehehe... hi?**

 **OK I KNOW I AM PATHETIC I PROMISED A ONE-SHOT BUT NOW IT IS A VERY SHORT STORY! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!**

 **At least I updated? No? Ok, I will still try and keep my promise of finishing this before the week ends, and since I don't have anything else to do that is exactly what I'll do.**

 **Oh wait...**

 **I DO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO! I HAVE ZOOTOPIA ON FREAKING DVD! LET'S CELEBRATE!**

 **Phew, ok that's out, even though I have a lot still in me. Yipee! Ok, so I just had to watch it, mind, while eating a blueberry muffin (reasons you need not know of but probably already do) and that I did, so it sparked more ideas for my fanfiction courier, so you'll have to wait and see...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this next chapter, and until next time, this is the hybrid possum signing out.**

 **Carrots!**


	3. Lost

The two mammals stared up at Bellweather in shock and fear, for she carried a gun in one of her hands, which was pointed straight at them, and the two friends were defenseless, one of them even being injured and unable to move. Judy's heart seemed to skip a beat as Nick whimpered in alarm, his tail tucking further into his leg.

"Well, you really should have stayed on the carrot farm, huh? It really is too bad, I did like you," she tutted, casually strolling over to the two who lay on the ground. Judy gulped at that, and Nick pushed into her side even further, probably an instinct to find comfort. His wound was most likely hurting real bad, which isn't the best thing in a situation like this. Judy absentmindedly scratched the top of his head as she glared up at the small sheep, who had the gun pointed at them.

"What are you going to do, kill me?!"

"Oh ho ho, no, of course not" the ewe laughed, as she stopped three feet away from the pair, as an evil glitter crossed her eyes.

"You don't get _all_ the credit, Ms Hopps, but I know an even better torture weapon. By killing _him_ , first," The gun pointed at Nick, who's eyes widened as he shrank away from the gun, eyes plastered against his head, a yelp of alarm escaping him. Judy gasped in shock. _This sheep really is cunning._

"But only if you give me the evidence, and let me be on my merry way,"

"If I give you the evidence, you'll kill us anyway! So we aren't going down without a fight!" Judy cried back in defiance, as Nick glanced up at her in alarm. She looked down, and nodded slightly, telling him that she had a plan and to trust her. The fox hesitated slightly, but then managed a slight nod, as he positioned himself in a more comfortable spot, paws giving him a stronger lift.

"Oh, clever bunny!" Bellweather cooed with fake impressiveness. "But either way you're going to die, so why do it the hard way?"

"Because it isn't just our lives that are at stake. If I let you get away with this, then the rest of Zootopia will suffer, and that wouldn't be a very police-y thing to do, would it?"

"Mmm, true, true. Ok, I'll tell you what. We can play a little game of hide and seek," she said, grinning at the two's reactions of pure shock and surprise.

"I'll seek, and you can hide. If I find you first, I get to kill you and take the evidence, but if I can't, then you get away and keep the evidence. Sound fair?"

"Not really," Nick muttered, as he glared at the ground. Judy knew what he was thinking. They could take the offer, or die trying to defy Bellweather face to face, but if they took the bait, then Nick would have to left behind, or they would die anyway, because he would slow them down. But Judy would never so that, so they would just have to make do with what they could manage at this point in time.

"Alright, _sheep_ , we take your offer," Judy seethed, as Bellweather giggles in glee. A couple of days ago it would have been an adorable sound to hear, coming from a sheep, but now it sounded revolting to Judy.

"Ok, I'll count to ten," she said, closing her eyes as a smile tugged at the edge of her lips. Nick tried to sit up, but hissed loudly as his paws gave way, his head landing in Judy's lap. The bunny looked down at him in worry, and then back at the ewe who had already started to count.

"1…"

"I don't think I can do this, rabbit," Nick whispered under his breath, as the fox clutched his side in agony.

"You can, Nick! I believe in you, you can and will make it through this! Just try, for my sake and yours!"

"I'll try, but I d-don't have any guarantee," he murmured, as Judy got up quickly.

"2…"

Nick looked up at Judy, who held out her paw to help lift him. The fox held his breath, as he pushed himself up and propped himself on Judy's shoulder, leaning as lightly as he could so as not to put to much pressure on the small rabbit. Judy glanced down to make sure she had the case in a secure grip, and then they ran, as fast as the two could go. Judy looked over her shoulder hoping to see a police car pulling up, but only heard the siren's noises growing ever closer. Her ears shrank back, then she turned her attention to her hurt companion, as he started to pant in all the effort it was taking him to run at this speed, even if it was barely even at a jogging pace. The sprinted through a doorway, and around, running through a collection of ancient animal statues. Nick looked back as Bellweather's voice echoed through the hallways, spreading fear through the two best friends.

"8…"

She was going painstakingly slow, which was driving Judy to the edge. Just because she had all the power, she was toying with them. It just wasn't fair! They kept on running (well more of hobbling) through the statues, as Judy glanced behind her shoulder. Nick was still looking, so neither of them saw the mammoth tusk pointing outwards, right in their pathway.

Judy just looked back in time to give a short gasp and dodge the object, but Nick wasn't so lucky, as he tripped over the tusk, landing on the floor with a pained cry, pulling Judy along with him.

"Oof!"

"Nick, are you alright!?" Judy asked, scrambling up to the groaning fox, who was lying limp on the ground in pain, groaning and writhing, trying to comfort the now irritated wounds. Judy stroked under his chin as they heard a distant chuckle.

Bellweather had finished counting.

Judy looked back at Nick who was trying to get up again., but was failing, as his side refused to co-operate. Without thinking, the bunny, scooped him up by the shoulders, grabbed the case, and started to guide Nick behind a giant column, which would hopefully protect them, for the moment. She leaned him against it, as Nick looked up at the ceiling and squeezed his eyes shut, when they heard Bellweather's clicking hooves. Of course she had heard them, it was so darn obvious when Nick had tripped.

"Nick, do you think you can keep walking?" she asked, bending down so she whispered in his ear. It twitched at the question.

"Unlikely, J-Judy, quite u-unlikely," he answered through gritted teeth, as he grasped at his waist that had started to bleed yet again.

"Come on, Judy, we're on the same team! Underestimated, underappreciated, aren't you _sick_ of it?" Bellweather's voice, came, making Nick whimper slightly. Poor fox, he must be petrified after what Bellweather did to him!

"Unlikely," the rabbit murmured, turning back to Nick who was looking frantically around, trying to come up with a getaway plan. The sirens seemed to be blaring now, almost here. The two just had to come up with another master plan to get Nick walking to get away from Bellweather, then they would be able to get the police to arrest her.

"Take the case!" Nick whispered urgently, shoving it in her face, "get it to the ZPD!"

"What?! No! I'm not leaving you, that's not happening!" Judy answered him, pushing it back down as she looked into his worried emerald eyes. His expression turned impatient.

"I can't, _walk_!"he said as if Judy hadn't noticed or gone blind.

"Yeah, well we can just, think of something!" she answered lamely, gesturing him to keep the case where he is. He obeyed with a sigh, resting it on his lap.

"Huh, predators, they may be strong and loud, but prey outnumber predators, ten to one!" the sheep cried in anticipation, as she heard a noise. The two heard her start to creep up on the column, and instantly lowered their voices.

"Hey, I have a plan!"

"It better be a darn good plan to get us out of this mess!" Nick replied with a light mutter, making Judy nod, as the bunny picked up a nearby bunny statue.

Nick cocked his head in question, as he watched her even it out, casting a shadow as the light hit it. Judy nodded slightly in satisfaction, as she turned back to her fox companion.

"You, are a sly bunny," he chuckled, hissing as Judy yanked him up, propping him against her shoulder yet again.

"Think about it! Ninety percent of the population united against a common enemy! We'll be unstoppable"

"Hurry, we have to get away before she gets here!"Judy said, as Nick's tail swept the case towards her. She bent down and picked it up, as Nick held onto her other shoulder for more support. They then slipped to the back, as Bellweather's hooves stopped short at the shadow.

Judy peeked over the edge, to see the back of the sheep's head behind the column. Then, when the sheep walked towards the shadow.

"Now!" she whispered, and the two shot off running. Bellweather gasped in shock, as Judy accidently kicked a piece of metal to the side.

"Oops,"

"Run, Carrots run!" Nick urged, as he started gasping when they reached the opening. He could hear Bellweather sprinting after them, and by the sound of her licking hooves, she was right on their tail.

Judy gave an extra burst of speed, as Nick tried to keep up.

Nearly there…

Fifteen feet, fourteen feet, thirteen feet…

They were going to make it! Judy huffed as she held Nick tightly, the fox panting as he tried to run. She could tell his wound was really irritating him. Ok, that was a _huge_ understatement. It was probably killing him.

The rabbit took a glance down to see the blood starting to leak a little. It sent a pang of pain to see how hard Nick was working to run, but they had to get away. Besides, he would receive medical attention soon anyway, so it wouldn't be all that bad.

The doe started as Nick tripped slightly, and she quickly readjusted her grip around him, but then the sound of a gun being shot made her instinct to drop down trigger. The two landed, successfully avoiding the bullet, but Nick landed on his side with a pained yip, then realizing that they were on the edge of one of the exhibits. The fox scrambled for footage as to yank himself up, but failed as he fell down. Judy grabbed his paw, and held on, but as another bullet was fired she found herself falling into the ditch along with Nick, landing with an _oof_.

"Yeah, carrot farm would have been the best idea," Bellweather came up, still puffing after their little game of chase. Judy looked up to see her towering over them, and then over at Nick who was curled up on the floor, gasping and panting, as he clutched his side, and tried to ease down the pain that had now taken over him.

Judy's ears sunk as she realized the case was left on top of the exhibit.

Alone.

With Bellweather.

 _Uh oh._

"It really is too bad, but you did loose our little game," Bellweather laughed, looking over to the wriggling fox. Nick sensed her gaze and immediately looked up, with pained eyes, as he a low growl sounded in his throat. Judy moved closer to him, as she put a paw protectively over his head.

"I won't let you hurt him,"

"How, Carrots? We're trapped," Nick asked up at the little bunny, who looked back down.

"Trust,"

"Ha!" Bellweather laughed, as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world, "back at it again with the trust, Judy? It isn't going to work, after all, it isn't a physical object that can look after you,"

"Maybe not, but it always helps me, unlike you," Judy said, as the sirens sound pulled up next to the museum. Bellweather looked up with a start, then back down. The ewe had two choices now, and she had to decide in the next 5 seconds.

One, take the case and leave Judy and Nick.

Or two, stay and shoot the two into next week.

And she didn't know what to do. So Judy helped her, being the kind considerate rabbit she was.

"So your whole plan was that prey fear predator, and you stay in control?"

"Well, yeah pretty much," the sheep replied hurridly, as the sound of car doors slamming sounded in the distance. She glanced back down at the two friends, as she seemed to have made her decision.

Bellweather raised the gun, aiming at Judy and Nick. The fox whimpered, as Judy seethed up at Bellweather.

"It won't work!"

"Of course it will work! Fear always works," and with that, a gun shot fired, and Judy blacked out, falling on top of Nick.

The last thing she heard was the fox, crying out;

"Judy!"

Then, all was black.

* * *

 ***Coughs in embarrassment* Well, I didn't promise it would finish now, right?**

 ***Ducks from rotten blueberries***

 **Ok, I'm sorry! I have been writing all my free time for you guys, so feel lucky! And, I have a feeling the next chapter will be the last, and I will do everything I can to ensure it it. So, I hope you liked this chapter, and I shall see you in the next one! I mean next, chapter, chapter, next...**

 **You know what I mean.**

 **Carrots!**


	4. Together

Judy woke up with a start, immediately regretting doing so as she rubbed her head, as pain racked through it, like a rake shoveling the ground.

The doe looked around at her surroundings, and her paw dropped to her lap. She was in a hospital bed, with a hospital gown on her. She could hear the beeping of hospital equipment and the scurry of doctors and nurses around in the outside corridor. But how and why was she even here in the first place?

Then all the events of before came flashing in her mind, as she remembered Bellweather and the antidote and…

Nick.

He was injured.

Where was he?!

The bunny started to hyperventilate, as her head whipped around, trying to find where the fox was. But he wasn't there. Of course he wasn't, he would be in a separate room where he would being treated by himself. Judy stopped looking around, and settled on staring at the room door. A thought came to her, and it wasn't a bad one.

The rabbit didn't feel like she was injured, she was probably just there to see if there was any internal damage and such, but Judy felt perfectly fine. She just had to find Nick, so the cop got out of the bed, and raced toward the door, where light streamed in from.

She blinked as she adjusted to the light, and when she could see, raced to the right, trying to find someone that couldgive her directions, anyone who could tell her where her friend was.

"Hopps!"

Judy whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Her eyes came to rest on a smal otter who was staring up at her in wonder. She wore a doctor's outfit, and was carrying a clipboard with some notes on it.

"Oh, thanks goodness! I need your help, Mam, I need to find my frie-"

"Oh no, I can't help you with that. You have to get back to your room! You aren't allowed out!" the small otter squeaked, looking at Judy with solemn eyes. The bunny met her gaze, desperately trying to find something to say to convince the doctor.

"Please, I need to find my friend! His name is Nick Wilde, and I really need to find him! Besides, I feel perfectly fine anyway, so I really don't need to stay in the room!" she said in a rush, eyes glacing to the corridor behind her, trying, _hoping_ to see Nick walk in at any moment, all well and his usual charming self. The otter sighed, looking down at the papers on the clipboard, as if debating on letting Judy go.

"Well, I can show you where he is, on one condition. You have to stay with me, and be careful not to tear you stitches out," Judy started as she heard the word 'stitches'. How could she have had stitches?

"Ok, but, may I ask _where_ I have them, because I don't remember-"

"You were shot. Don't you remember? The ewe, Bellweather, shot at you. Thankfully the police were there, or it could have been more serious, but surely you remember? Being shot in your shoulder?"

"No, I- I think I blacked out,"

"Well, you have three stitches in your left shoulder, so be careful. But, I guess you can see your friend,"

"Oh thank you, Ms-?"

"Slitson. Valerie Slitson. You can call me doctor Slitson, though," the brown otter said, gesturing for Judy to follow her.

"He is located in Ward 43, but unfortunately he is in quite a critical state, we are afraid he lost a lot more blood than the body can bear," Doctor Slitson said, as Judy walked beside her. The bunny sucked in a breath at the information, and started to shake a little.

"Is he going to be-?"

"Yes, he will be fine, but he has to have a lot of rest. He isn't doing so well at the moment, but we are ninety-seven percent sure he will make it. There is always a possibilty, though," Valerie sighed deeply, as they walked up to an elevator. The two walked in, as Doctor Slitson pressed number seven, and they waited in silence as it started to rise up. Judy was twitching as her itch to see her friend again increased, and she was nearly thumping her foor impatiently. The doctor seemed to sense this, and started up another conversation.

"He's very strong, you know,"

"Oh, I know he is. He has been so strong since I met him," Judy replied sadly, as she looked down at the otter, who tucked the clipboard under her arm.

"Mm, he wouldn't go down without a fight. Not to scare you, but when we finally got there, we feared we were going to loose him, as he was barely breathing, but oh how much fight he put up. He kept alive until we got him to the hospital, and from there we were able to save him. You have a briliant friend, there,"

"Yes, I know I do. He wasn't going to go without a fight after Bellweather,"

"Yes, that evil sheep, who would have thought?"

"Thought, what?" Judy asked absentmindedly, as she looked as the lift continued to rise ever upwards.

"That she was behind the savage attacks of Zootopia! You of all animals should know that, you solved the case!" Judy was on full alert, looking down at the expectant otter.

"But how did they find out?!"

"They caught her when she was saying that her plan was that prey fear predator and she stays in control! Also, when we they found you, your carrot pen had recorded her entire plan! You really don't remember?"

"They, found out, she's- where is she?!" Judy said, slightly swaying as the information hit her like a brick. They had actually found out without her telling them! But where was Bellweather now?

"Where is she now?"

"Behind bars,"

"But what about a court case? I mean, shouldn't they at least have a trial?" Judy asked in surprise, making the otter stare at her in surprise, which unnerved the bunny.

"Sweetie, they already have. She was found guilty,"

"What!? How many days have I been-?"

"Three, honey. You were out three days," the otter replied soflty, as the bunny looked at the doctor in wonder. She had been out for _three days_?! How could she have?

"This is our stop," Doctor Slitson said, as the doors opened. Judy shook her head thoroughly, forgetting about the time she had been out and what she had just learnt, and ran after the otter who was already disappearing around the left corner.

"So, will he be awake when we get there?"

"Yes, he will. Surprisingly he has been awake for just a bit longer than you, but that is probably because of your size andtime capacity to heal," the otter rambled on, as they walked down. But Judy had stopped listening, as she looked at the ward numbers.

41, 42, 43!

They were here! The bunny sprinted in, and looked frantically around. And there he was, lying on th bed, boredly scrolling down on his phone, watching through lazy eyes. He was also dressed in a hospital gown, with his tail hanging off the edge of the bed. The TV was also on in front of him, but the fox paid no heed. Judy exhaled a strangled, relieved breath, as she just stopped herself from catapulting into her friend. She knew she could seriously injure him again, and it would knock him dead.

"Nick!" the fox looked up, alarmed at the sudden voice in the room. He searched around with alert eyes, until they rested on Judy, who was walking towards him, quite fast. A grin masked his muzzle as the bunny came to his side.

"Hey Carrots, what's up?" he joked, tucking his phone into an invisible pocket. Judy nearly burst into tears, as she bent down and tightly hugged her friend, as hard as she dared to.

"Oh, you stupid, dumb fox! I was so worried about you," she said, as Nick started. But without much time, Judy found him hugging back, nearly as tightly as she was.

"Really? For what?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about for nearly dying!"she cried, releasing the fox as he quietly chuckled.

"How is that so funny?" she asked, sitting down on the side of his bed.

"Nothing, nothing's funny," he replied innocently, looking up at her with bug eyes. Judy shook her head in wonder at the reaction.

"Oh, you dumb fox,"

"Ehm," Doctor Slitson coughed, as she stood in the doorway, "well now that I have caught your attention, I'll just say that I will be leaving now. Judy dear, you can stay here until I come with Nick's medication, if you like, so you don't get lost trying to find your ward,"

"Oh, thank you so much Doctor! I can't thank you enough," Judy said, as the otter happily nodded at her.

"Take care, Nick, I'll be back soon. And no scratching your stitches!" the doctor warned the fox, who's ear twitched back in embarrassment.

"Will do, doc, will do,"

"Take care, you two. I'll be back, and be careful!" Valerie shouted over her shoulder, and then, she was gone, leavin Judy and Nick alone together. The bunny sighed, as she looked back at her friend who was drumming his fingers on the metal bar beside his bed.

"What was that about scratching your stitches, Nick?" she asked, as the fox looked back at her with another burst of his innocent eyes.

"Whaddya mean, rabbit?"

"You know what I mean, slick,"

"Ok, it may, just get a teensie bit itchy, but come on, when you have to scratch you have to scratch?" he said, tail sweeping the floor as Judy raised an eyebrow.

"Wow Nick, just wow,"

"Aww, cut me some slack, Carrots, I got shot! I can have to freedom of scratching, can't I?" he cried, throwing his paws in the air.

"Not if it could kill you, Nick!"

"Nothing can kill me," he answered smugly, smirk back on his face, making the bunny chuckle.

"How many stitches did you get?"

"Umm… you don't want to know,"

"Nick, please tell me, and I'll tell you how many I got,"

"You had to get stitches?! Why?!" Nick cried in alarm.

"I'll tell you if you tell me," Judy relied calmly, making Nick's ears fall back as he whimpered in defeat, muttering something along the lines of 'sly bunny'.

"Ok, about, fifteen…"

"Fifteen?! Wow, Nick, I knew it was bad, but that bad?!" Judy cried in shock, covering her mouth at how loud it was.

"And that's why I didn't want to tell you," he murmured, looking down at his lap.

"Sorry," Judy said back, looking at the fox.

"So, why did you get stitches?" Nick asked, wasting no time with the question. Judy rolled her eyes, as she tried to remember exactly what Doctor Slitson had told her.

"Well, I got about three, just because the bullet grazed my shoulder, nothing big," she said, patting her left shoulder. Nick breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness,"

"Aww, was Nick scared?"

"A little, but I knew you could handle yourself," he teased back, as he shoved Judy's face away playfully, making the bunny laugh.

"Wow, I feel flattered the great Nick Wilde worries about me," she giggled, as Nick smirked at her.

"Yeah, feel very lucky!" he chuckled, as the news on the television came on.

 _Former Mayor Bellweather is behind bars today, guilty of masterminding the savage attacks that have plagued Zootopia of late._

"Oh, yeah Bellweather is behind bars," Nick said to Judy, who nodded at him.

"Yeah, I heard,"

 _Her predecessor, Leodore Lionheart, denies any knowledge of her plot, claiming he was just trying to help protect the city._

 _"Did I falsely imprison those animals? Well yes, yes I did. It was just the classic doing to wrong thing for the right reason kind of a deal," the former mayor said._

 _In related news, doctors say that the night howler antivenom is proving effective in rehabilitating the afflicted predators._

"Wow, so they actually found out about Bellweather being behind the attacks, then," Judy said quietly, as Nick looked over to her from the TV.

"Yep," he replied, popping the p as he leaned back against his pillow.

"But, how?"

"Turns out your carrot pen was left on during the whole time, and recorded everything Bellweather said. They used it in the court case, and then she was throw behind bars," he said casually, as Judy sat there on the bed, quietly contemplating on all of the events.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Hmm,"

"I'm, so so sorry for all this happening to you," she apologized, as the bunny remembered that she hadn't said sorry after the press conference. The fox looked up at her in genuine surprise, which hurt Judy even more than it should have.

"For, what?"

"For being a complete jerk," Judy choked, as her ears drooped back, tears coming to her eyes. The fox looked on, startled, unsure of what to do.

"You aren't a jerk, Carrots,"

"Yes I am! I should have thought about what I said in the press conference, and if it weren't for me you wouldn't be injured!" she said, as a tear fell on her cheek. Nick's ear fell back as he looked at his friend, and then without thinking pulled her into a tight hug, as the bunny finally broke down after all of those days of keeping it in.

"That's not true, fluff,"

"It is! If I hadn't dragged you into the case, you wouldn't have had to go along, and Bellweather wouldn't have found out how close we were, so she wouldn't have shot you, and you w-would be safe and it's all my fault!" Judy wailed, clucthing at Nick's shirt as the fox looked down at her, smirking a little.

"Well, it wasn't completely your fault. It wasn't your choice that you had to find me to crack your case," he said, hestitantly stroking her between the ears, which calmed her down.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Nick!"

"I know you are,"

"No, really I am!"

"Rabbit, I am pretty sure you are sorry,"

"You wouldn't know how guilty I feel!"

"Fluff…"

"Seriously, I don't know how I can show you how much I am sorry,"

"I understand-"

"No you don't!"

" _Judy_!" Nick said, making the bunny look up abruptly at a freaked out Nick. By him using her real name, he actually finally got her attention. The bunny sniffed as she waited for him to continue.

"I understand, ok? You don't have to repeat it so many times, and it is quite clear how sorry you are because you are literatly crying down my shirt!"

"Oh I am so sorry!" she said, pushing away from him as he chuckled softly.

"I know,"

"I hate you,"

"I know that too,"

"Oh yeah, how?"

"I know everything,"

"Sly fox,"

"Dumb bunny," he answered smugly, as Judy laughed and shook her head in amazement.

"Welp, now that you have finally finished crying, what should we do?"

"Sorry," she murmured, making Nick frown.

"Carrots, I get it,"

"Ok, just making sure," she sniffed, wiping her cheeks. Nick raised his eyes to the heavens.

"You bunnies, so emotional!"

"Hey!" she cried, lightly punching his shoulder, making the fox cry out in fake pain, as he rubbed his shoulder and pouted.

"What medication have they given you, rabbit?! You're ten times stronger than last time," he laughed along with Judy, as the two stayed like that.

It was a tough case, but they would get out of it, and Judy was sure of it. She just couldn't wait, and then, maybe Nick would become her partner. He was probably the most trustworthy partner she could ever have, and honestly Judy wasn't surprised.

They would get through this.

Together.

* * *

 **Yus, the angst is over people, it is over! However, just a heads up, there is ONE more chapter coming, so yes, do not worry, it isn't over yet. I hope you liked this, and that this update was quick enough for you.**

 **Until next time, Carrots!**


	5. Together Forever

"When I was a kid, I thought Zootopia was this perfect place where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out, real life is a little bit more complicated than just a slogan on a bumper sticker. Rea life, is messy. We all have limitations, we all make mistakes, but hey glass half full we all have a lot in common! And the more we try to understand one another, the more expetional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what type of animal you are, from the biggest elephant, to our first fox," Judy gestured at her friend, who slid off his sunglasses, winking at her.

 _Conference one on one definitely helped,_ he thought, looking up at the rabbit who continued with her speech.

"I implore you. Try; try to make a difference. Try to make the world a better place. Try to look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us," she ended, finally stepping down from the podium as Nick shook his head in wonder.

 _This rabbit is never going to leave her cliché things, is she?_

Speaking of rabbit, his friend was beconing him up on to the stage, and Nick shook his head abruptly, as he came back to the real world. It took everything in him to stop himself from sprinting up, because he had to try and look important or official. Or whatever the police animals said.

He proudly walked up, as these thoughts went through his mind.

 _Yeah, I better act decent. Heck I didn't go and do all that training for six months just to get booted out because I ran up on the stage!_ He thought, as the fox stepped up in front of his friend, who carried his badge.

Nick took a shuddering breath as Judy took the badge out of her case, placing it in her pocket. She then stepped up to him, holding out the badge. Nick puffed out his chest a little, as she clipped it into place. Judy was amazed at how genuine his smile was, and could sense the pride radiating off of him. Hopefully he could sense how proud she was.

And just because Judy was in the moment, she saluted at him, and Nick shook his head slightly in reply, smirking, but saluted back at the bunny, making Judy's smile widen even more.

And the two friends stood there, grinning their faces off. Nick was finally a cop, and no mammal was prouder than Judy Hopps.

* * *

"Well Carrots, I've gotta say, that was quite a speech you did there," Nick laughed as they walked along the path in the park, as they finally left Nick's graduation. Judy grinned at his praise.

"Why thank you, Nick, I am flattered. But you did help teach me, after all, so you get at least some of the credit,"

"Of course I do, I always get some credit," the fox said, as they strolled down the path.

"Of course," Judy laughed, as the fox smirked at her.

"My advice is _always_ valuable, Carrots, and you cannot defy that!"

"I'm not," she giggled, as Nick started to lecture her on the importance of listening to his advice.

"I get us out of hot water, that's why you have to listen. If I didn't tell you to go behind the column in the museum, we would have been dead!"

"I do recall that _I_ lead _you_ to the column, Nick, not you leading me!" she said sternly, as they sat on a park bench.

"On contraire, I did help, though. Some how, in a way… sort of," the fox said, trying to remember something that he had helped in, as he tucked his paws in his pant pockets.

"You helped by being there, dumbie!"

"There you go, I do help!" Nick said, as Judy playfully punched him, making the fox laugh.

"Yeah, you do," she said, resting her hands in her lap as she watched animals walk or ride by. Nick did the same, as they sat there in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company for the time being.

"Hey Nick?"

"Mhmm,"

"Congratulations, on graduating,"

"You already said that, Carrots,"

"Yeah, but I wanted to say it as a friend, not as a colleague. And besides, I'm not going to get bored of saying it all day today," she said, straightening up as Nick rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Carrots, ok. You better be thankful I endured those six months of hell for you!"

"So, you didn't want to be a cop?" Judy started, looking over at Nick as he glanced towards her.

"Well, I never really had a dream job, and I had considered becoming a cop, but I guess the main reason I joined was to be your partner, since I had one heck of a time with you on the case. Ehm, I really only joined because of you, and a job is a job, right?" he chuckled, as Judy's doubtful look turned happy.

"Well, I wouldn't have it any other way!" she said, giving him a quick hug around the waist.

"Yep, me neither, fluff, me neither,"

* * *

"Ok, settle down. Quiet," the Chief said, but no one listened, as they kept banging the tables.

"QUIET!"

And all was silent.

"Alright, we have some new recruits with us this morning, including our first fox," he said, gesturing to Nick who held his head up a tiny bit higher at the introduction.

"Who cares?"

"Ha, you should have your own line of inspirational greeting cards sir!" Nick cried out at the Chief, as he wouldn't let the buffalo get him down, especially not on the first day. This earnt a snickering from the other colleagues, and a wide smile from Judy.

 _Nick will never change, no matter what job he holds._

"Shut you mouth Wilde!" Bogo said, and Nick much abliged, seeing that he had irritated the Chief enough already.

 _Wow, that was fast._

"Wilde, Hopps… parking duty.," Nick's eyes widened slightly, as the two waited for Bogo to say something else.

"Dismissed," the pair gaped at Bogo, as they sat there, frozen.

"Just kidding!" he teased, in the least Bogo way possible. Nick and Judy laughed at that, and waited for the real assignment.

"There is a speeder who is tearing up the tracks in Sahara Square. Find him, shut him down,"

"Got you," Judy said, as she beckoned to Nick as she hopped off of her chair. The fox followed, turning around and giving Chief Bogo a fake salute. The chief looked like he was about to smile… but he didn't.

 _His loss,_ Nick thought as the door closed behind him. Little did he know that the buffalo was giving a grim grin at the door.

* * *

"Fun. Funny guy, that buffalo-butt," Nick said, as he sucked on one of his pawpsicles. Judy looked at him, as she started the car.

"Where did you get that?"

"What? This little thing?" he said, dangling the pawpsiclein front of Judy's face.

"Yes that," she said, shoving it away as Nick shrugged.

"I always carry them around. It's an essential for me, really,"

"Okay, then. We better get going, or do you want to muck up your first real assignment, rookie?" Judy cooed, as she drove the car out into the main road.

"Huh, rookie? Who's the rookie? It can't be me, can it?" Nick laughed, as he licked the red pawpsicle, "because I am the coolest cop you'll ever meet,"

"Uh huh, keep tellin' yourself that," Judy replied sarcastically, as Nick smirked at her.

"I will, thanks," Judy laughed at this, as they approached a light.

"So are all rabbits bad drivers, or is it just you?" Nick asked, changing the subject as the road light changed. Judy immediately slammed on the breaks, bracing herself so that she didn't fly into the window screen. Nick, was not so lucky, as he was thrown into the glove compartment. The fox came back up, with the pawpiscle stuck to his left eye-lid, blinking in surprise.

"Oops, sorry," she deadpanned, just controlling herself from laughing her head off as he peeled the pawpsicle from his eyes, chuckling.

"Huh, sly bunny," he said, pointing the pawpsicle at her, making Judy grin as she waited for the light to change.

"Dumb fox," she replied happily at the remark. Nick shook his head as he leaned in.

"You know you love me," he said, as Judy glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Do I know that?" Nick nearly started pouting at the answer he got.

"Yes. Yes, I do," she ended, making Nick grin at his press conference advice.

"Told ya my advice always comes in handy," he said smugly, as Judy started to move forward. Suddenly, a car zoomed straight in front of them, nearly taking out their bumper. Nick looked in astonishment at where the car just was, then at his partner, who seemed equally astonished. But without hesitation, he smirked at Judy, who grinned back, and Nick clicked his sunglasses out, as he flicked the sirens on, and with that, they were off, chasing the criminal of Sahara Square.

Another day of fighting crime ahead of them, and this time, the two were together.

Together forever.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Yes, I finished! I am so glad I did, and this chapter was so nice and fuzzy to write, it just felt so relieving that it all ended well!**

 **I hope you enjoyed my what if story, and to be honest, this is the first story I have ever finished, so yayzee to that! Also, I would like to thank you guys with the support, even if it was only by you reading it, I still feel very accomplished with all the views I get. And a super big thanks to the followers and favouriters, and the people who review, it has been very helpful for me to continue this.**

 **So yes, I hope you enjoyed this story, and until the next story, Carrots!**


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